Entrance door and method of construction

ABSTRACT

A door with decorative paneling thereon is constructed by forming a composite sheet of paneling on a flat working surface from pieces of hardboard which form the stile and rail portions as well as the decorative panel portions of the paneling. Strips of adhesive tape applied along the division lines of the pieces of hardboard enable the composite sheet to be handled as a unit. After the composite sheet of paneling has been placed over and glued to the surface of an understructure provided for the door, the strips of adhesive tape are removed. Grooves are then formed along the edges of the pieces of hardboard forming the decorative panel portions of the paneling.

United States Patent 1 Newell 1 ENTRANCE DOOR AND NIETHOD OF CONSTRUCTION [76] Inventor: Norman M. Newell, 14508 Carmenita Rd., Norwalk, Calif. 90650 [22] Filed: July 10, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 487,170

[52] U5. CL. 52/313; 52/615; 156/182; D13/1 M; 428/45; 52/622 [51] Int. Cl B32b 21/14 [58] Field of Search 161/38, 36, 145; 52/313, 52/455, 615; 156/182; D13/1 M [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 220,893 10/1879 Westcoff .1 161/38 UX 1,863,800 6/1932 Loetschen. 156/182 2,235,230 3/1941 Malarkey... 161/38 2,444,343 6/1948 Eisinger 52/615 2,825,674 3/1958 Prase 156/182 3,165,792 1/1965 Pick 161/36 3,168,763 2/1965 Gilbert 161/38 1 Aug. 19, 1975 3,287,855 11/1966 Hallongaist et a1. 52/615 3,829,337 8/1974 Cheng 156/182 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 998,162 7/1965 United Kingdom 52/313 Primary ExaminerWilliam E. Schulz Attorney, Agent, or FirmJohn T. Matlago 57 ABSTRACT A door with decorative paneling thereon is constructed by forming a composite sheet of paneling on a flat working surface from pieces of hardboard which form the stile and rail portions as well as the decorative panel portions of the paneling. Strips of adhesive tape applied along the division lines of the pieces of hardboard enable the composite sheet to be handled as a unit. After the composite sheet of paneling has been placed over and glued to the surface of an understructure provided for the door, the strips of adhesive tape are removed. Grooves are then formed along the edges of the pieces of hardboard forming the decorative panel portions of the paneling.

6 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTED mm 91% SHEET 1 OF 2 ENTRANCE DOOR AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION This invention relates to improvements in the construction of entrance doors, and, more particularly, to a novel structural arrangement and method of providing decorative paneling on such doors.

It is highly desirable to provide an entrance door with panels on the surface thereof for the purpose of decorating the door. Such decorative panels may be formed by carving them out of the surface of solid wood boards from which the door is made. However, because of the labor involved, such a manner of forming the panels is quite costly and can only be used for constructing the more expensive doors. As an alternative, these decorative panels can be in the form of individual pieces of wood that may be held on the surface of the door by glue. This manner of forming the panels is less expensive, but when a large number of such individual panels are provided on the surface of the door, the setting of them one at a time relative to each other in a spaced relation is time consuming and costly.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an entrance door with decorative paneling that can be economically manufactured.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved process which simplifies and facilitates the setting of decorative paneling on the surface of the understructure of an entrance door.

A further object of this invention is the provision of an improved process for paneling the surface of an entrance door with a plurality of small panel members grouped and arranged in patterns of diverse grain directions.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved entrance door structure which includes on the surface thereof paneling comprised of a plurality of grain embossed hardboard panel members grouped and arranged in patterns of diverse grain directions.

Briefly, in accordance with the present invention, a rectangular composite sheet of paneling for an entrance door is assembled on a flat working surface by laying down a pair of stile panel members and a pair of rail panel members to form the four marginal sides of the sheet of paneling and thereby define a rectangular, open, central section. The grain of the stile panel members runs longitudinally of the sheet and the grain of the rail panel members runs laterally thereof. A plurality of decorative panel members are then laid down in abutting relation in the open, central section of the sheet with adjacent ones of the panel members having a diverse grain direction. Strips of adhesive tape are applied along the division lines of the panel members to enable the composite sheet of paneling to be handled as a unit. The entire sheet of paneling is then placed on and glued to the surface of the understructure for the door. The assembly is held together until the glue dries, after which the strips of tape are removed. Grooves are then formed along the lines of division which include the decorative panel members to give them the desired effect of having been set on the surface of the door with a spaced relation.

These and other object, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from consideration of the following description and claims when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a plurality of panel members laid down in abutting relation on a flat working surface;

FIG. 1a is an edge view of one of the panel members;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the wood frame for the door;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the particle wood core supporting structure for fitting in the frame of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view showing the component parts of the door;

FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the door assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of the door assembly showing the grooves formed on the paneling thereof;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a portion of the door assembly as taken along line 7-7 of FIG.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of the intersection of the grooves formed on the paneling; and

FIG. 9 is an alternative embodiment of a door for a cupboard;

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a rectangular composite sheet of paneling 1 la for the entrance door 10 of the present invention is shown lying on a flat working surface 12. The pieces of the paneling 11a include two long, rectangular stile members 14a, two shorter, rectangular rail panel members 15a, and a plurality of small square panel members 16a. These panel members are cut from large, thin, sheets of hardboard. The hardboard is a commercially available product of the type that is manufactured by tearing pieces of wood into its basic fibers and then compressing the fibers into sheet form with a grain structure embossed on the surface thereof. The grain structure generally extends in a direction parallel to one side of the sheet. Thus, each of the two rectangular stile panel members 14a and the two rectangular rail members 15a are cut such that its grain structure runs generally along the length thereof. Likewise, each of the plurality of square panel members 16a is out such that its grain structure runs generally parallel to a side thereof. FIG. 1a is an edge view of one of the panel members 16a showing the embossed grain 17 standing out of the surface thereof.

As seen in FIG. 1, the two stile panel members 14a and the two rail members 15a are laid down on the working surface 12 to form the four marginal sides of the composite sheet of paneling 1 la and thereby define a rectangular, open, central section 18 in the paneling. The square panel members 160 are laid down within the central section 18 in a side-by-side relation with adjacent ones of the panel members 16a oriented with their grain embossed surface at to the next, as shown.

Strips 21 of flexible tape consisting of a narrow web having an adhesive on one side thereof, such as conventional masking tape, are then applied along the division lines formed by the adjacent sides of the aligned juxtaposed panel members l4a, 15a and 16a. It should be noted that the strips 21 of the adhesive tape lay, in the manner previously described, over the grained surfaces of the panel members and serve to hold them together such that the composite sheet of paneling lla can be handled for processing as a unit.

Although only one composite sheet of paneling 11a is shown in FIG. 1, in the preferred embodiment of the paneled door 10 disclosed herein, an additional composite sheet of paneling 1 1b (FIG. 4) is provided which is formed of identically shaped panel members 14b, 15b and 16b that are similar held together by strips 21 of adhesive tape.

A rectangular frame 23, as shown in FIG. 2, is formed of longitudinal and lateral wood sidings 24 and 25. The wood sidings are held together at their comers by metal staples 27. A rectangular core 29 made of compressed sawdust, is positioned within frame 17, to form the understructure of the door 10.

FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of the component parts from which the entrance door is fabricated. These parts include the taped front composite sheet of hardboard paneling 11a, the wood frame 23, the particle core 29, and the taped back composite sheet of hardboard paneling llb. It should be noted that the paneling 11b is shown in its inverted position with its flat, untaped, surface facing upwardly.

To assemble the component parts of the door 10, the composite sheet of paneling 11b is placed with its taped embossed grain surface lying against a flat working surface. The core 29 is then placed within the central opening of the frame 23, and a layer of glue is spread over the bottom surface of the understructure so formed. The understructure is then placed with its glued surface on top of the composite sheet of paneling 11b. A layer of glue is then spread over the opposite surface of the understructure and the composite sheet of paneling 11a is then placed with its under surface over this opposite surface of the understructure.

It should be noted that the composite sheets of paneling 11a and 11b have an outside dimension that is approximately the same as the outside dimension of the frame 23. Such a construction facilitates the aligning of the sides of the paneling and frame and thereby the positioning of one on the other.

The assembled component parts of the door 10 are then placed in a press wherein they are tightly held together under pressure until the glue has dried. The strips 21 of tape are then removed from along the abutting edges of the panel members 14a, a and 16a of the composite sheet of paneling 1 1a that is secured on one surface of the door 10, and also from along the abutting edges of the panel members 14b, 15b and 16b of the composite sheet of paneling 1 lb that is secured on the other surface of the door.

As indicated in FIG. 5, the four sides of the assembled door 10 are trimmed off a slight distance inwardly of the edges thereof for the purpose of squaring these sides with a smooth finish. As shown in FIG. 6, a router (not shown) is then used to form lateral and longitudinal grooves 31a and 32a, respectively, which coincide with the lateral and longitudinal lines of division of the several panel members 16a forming the paneling 11a. The paneling 11b on the opposite surface of the door understructure is similarly provided with lateral and longitudinal grooves 31b and 32b which extend along the lines of division of the several panel members 16b. As illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the grooves 31a, 32a and 31b and 32b are each shaped to provide square side shoulders 33 on the edges of adjacent panel members, and have a curved bottom 34 which extends slightly into the particle core 29.

It should be noted that making the core 29 wider and longer in dimension than the central section 18 defined by the stile and rail panel members 14a and 15a of the paneling 1 1a, for example, assures that the grooves 310 and 32a outlining the central section 18, are not near the division line 36 defined by the abutting sides of the frame 23.and the core 29, since, if these grooves were so located, the structure of the door would be weakened.

As noted in FIG. 6, as a result of this form of constructing paneling on door 10, the front and back surfaces of the understructure of the door 10 are effectively sheathed over the entire surface thereof by the coextensive composite skins or sheets of paneling 11a and 11b, respectively. This construction gives the appearance, because of the diverse directions of the grain of the stile and rail panel members, such as 140 and 15a, respectively, that these portions of the assembled door 10 are constructed from individual solid pieces of wood boards, in the manner of conventional stile and rail doors. Moreover, the plurality of decorative, panel members, such as 16a, on the front surface of the door appear, because of the grooves 31a and 32a, to be made of thick pieces of individual wood panels that have been set on the surface of the understructure in a separated relation. Furthermore, as a result of this groove construction, the diverse grained panel members 16a, 16b are effectively raised above the apparent plane of the particle core 29 to provide adequate modeling by light which greatly enhances their appearance.

It should be noted that the process of the present invention enables the open, central sections 18 of the respective door panelings 1 la and 1 1b to contain any desired number of the same of differently sized panel members having diverse grain structure and thus giving a pleasing appearance to the door. It should be evident that the door 10 may, if desired, be constructed with a single large sheet of hardboard glued on the back surface thereof.

FIG. 9 shows an alternate embodiment of a door 37 constructed by the method of the present invention. The door 37 may be provided for a cupboard. It is formed from a particle core understructure 38. In this embodiment, a composite sheet of paneling 39 is forming of a plurality of square panel members 40 on the central portion thereof, with narrower rectangular panel members 41 along the sides thereof, and with half-sized rectangular panel members, such as panel members 42, along the top and bottom thereof. This design array of panel members is initially laid down on a flat working surface as previously described in connection with FIG. 1, with the grain structure of the adjacent panel members oriented at 90 with respect to each other for the purpose of bringing their surfaces in relief to provide a pleasing effect. Strips of tape (not shown) are then placed along the edges of the aligned panel members to hold them together. A layer of glue is then spread over the surface of the core understructure 38 and the composite sheet of paneling 39 is laid thereover. The door assembly is held together in a press until the glue is dried and the strips of tape are removed. Longitudinal and lateral grooves 44 and 45 are then cut along the lines of division of the panel members to give the appearance that the panel members 40, 41 and 42 have been individually set on the core understructure with a spaced relation. The side edges 46 of the cupboard door 37, including the edges of the understructure and the paneling 39, may then be beveled, as shown.

While the procedure and the resulting product of the invention has been disclosed in detail, it is evident from the disclosure that some latitude in specific details is permissable, and, accordingly, it is desired that the scope of the invention be restricted only in accordance with the definition of the invention as portrayed in the appended claims.

What is claimed is: 1. A method of constructing a door with paneling on the surface thereof, including the steps of cutting a thin sheet of hardboard having a grain structure embossed on the upper surface thereof to provide a plurality of panel members, laying said panel members down side-by-side on a flat working surface to form a rectangular composite sheet of paneling with the adjacent panel members in at least the central section of the composite sheet grouped and arranged in patterns of diverse grain direction, laying strips of adhesive tape along the cracks of adjacent panel members to hold them together, applying glue to a surface of an understructure for the door, placing said composite sheet of paneling on said surface of the understructure, pressing said composite sheet of paneling and understructure together until the glue dries, and forming grooves along the horizontal and vertical side edges of said plurality of panel members in at least the central section of the composite sheet. 2. A method of constructing an entrance door with decorative paneling on the surface thereof, including the steps of cutting two stile panel members, two rail panel members and a plurality of decorative panel members out of thin sheets of hardboard, forming a composite sheet of paneling by laying the stile and rail panel members down on a flat working surface to form the four marginal sides of the sheet and thereby define a central opening section, and laying down the plurality of decorative panel members on said flat working surface in side-by-side relation within said central opening section with the grain of adjacent ones of these latter panel members oriented at 90 to each other, placing strip of adhesive tape along the separating lines defined by the sides of the decorative panel members to hold the members together, forming an understructure for the door from a rectangular wood frame having a particle wood core, applying a glue on a surface of said understructure, placing said composite sheet of paneling on said surface of the understructure, pressing said composite sheet of paneling and understructure together until the glue dries, and

forming grooves along the horizontal and vertical side edges of said plurality of decorative panel members.

3. The method of claim 2 including the steps of providing a similarly formed composite sheet of paneling on the opposite surface of the understructure of the door.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said panel members are cut from sheets of compressed wood fiber having grain structures embossed on their surfaces.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein said plurality of decorative panel members are square shaped and identical in size.

6. An entry door comprising an understructure for said door including a wood frame, and

a wood particle core positioned within said frame,

a sheet of paneling secured to at least one surface of said understructure,

said sheet of paneling comprised of pieces of hardboard having an embossed grain structure on their surface running along a direction generally parallel to the side edges thereof, said pieces of hardboard including a pair of stile panel members and a pair of rail panel members arranged to form the four marginal sides of the sheet of paneling and thereby define a central opening section, the grain of the rail panel members running longitudinally and the grain of the stile members running laterally of the sheet, and

said sheet of paneling further comprised of a plurality of decorative panel members positioned in abutting relation within the central opening section thereof, each decorative panel member having its grain structure oriented at to the grain structure of the adjacent decorative panel member, and grooves formed along the edges of the plurality of decorative panel members. 

1. A method of constructing a door with paneling on the surface thereof, including the steps of cutting a thin sheet of hardboard having a grain structure embossed on the upper surface thereof to provide a plurality of panel members, laying said panel members down side-by-side on a flat working surface to form a rectanguLar composite sheet of paneling with the adjacent panel members in at least the central section of the composite sheet grouped and arranged in patterns of diverse grain direction, laying strips of adhesive tape along the cracks of adjacent panel members to hold them together, applying glue to a surface of an understructure for the door, placing said composite sheet of paneling on said surface of the understructure, pressing said composite sheet of paneling and understructure together until the glue dries, and forming grooves along the horizontal and vertical side edges of said plurality of panel members in at least the central section of the composite sheet.
 2. A method of constructing an entrance door with decorative paneling on the surface thereof, including the steps of cutting two stile panel members, two rail panel members and a plurality of decorative panel members out of thin sheets of hardboard, forming a composite sheet of paneling by laying the stile and rail panel members down on a flat working surface to form the four marginal sides of the sheet and thereby define a central opening section, and laying down the plurality of decorative panel members on said flat working surface in side-by-side relation within said central opening section with the grain of adjacent ones of these latter panel members oriented at 90* to each other, placing strip of adhesive tape along the separating lines defined by the sides of the decorative panel members to hold the members together, forming an understructure for the door from a rectangular wood frame having a particle wood core, applying a glue on a surface of said understructure, placing said composite sheet of paneling on said surface of the understructure, pressing said composite sheet of paneling and understructure together until the glue dries, and forming grooves along the horizontal and vertical side edges of said plurality of decorative panel members.
 3. The method of claim 2 including the steps of providing a similarly formed composite sheet of paneling on the opposite surface of the understructure of the door.
 4. The method of claim 2 wherein said panel members are cut from sheets of compressed wood fiber having grain structures embossed on their surfaces.
 5. The method of claim 2 wherein said plurality of decorative panel members are square shaped and identical in size.
 6. An entry door comprising an understructure for said door including a wood frame, and a wood particle core positioned within said frame, a sheet of paneling secured to at least one surface of said understructure, said sheet of paneling comprised of pieces of hardboard having an embossed grain structure on their surface running along a direction generally parallel to the side edges thereof, said pieces of hardboard including a pair of stile panel members and a pair of rail panel members arranged to form the four marginal sides of the sheet of paneling and thereby define a central opening section, the grain of the rail panel members running longitudinally and the grain of the stile members running laterally of the sheet, and said sheet of paneling further comprised of a plurality of decorative panel members positioned in abutting relation within the central opening section thereof, each decorative panel member having its grain structure oriented at 90* to the grain structure of the adjacent decorative panel member, and grooves formed along the edges of the plurality of decorative panel members. 